Awning construction



Dec. 22, 1964 M, v NQECKER 3,161,924

AWNNG CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 18, 1961 United States Patent O 3,161,924 AWNING CONSTRUCTION Marshall V. Noecker, Grosse Pointe, Mich., assignmto Kaufmann Awning Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Sept. 18, 1961, Ser. No. 138,907 3 Claims. (Cl. 2li-57.5)

This invention relates to an improvement in awning constructions and, more particularly, relates to an improved joint for awning sheets to provide a relatively permanent and rattle-free connection thereof. This application is a continuation-impart of my copending applicatim serial No. 41,644, sled July s, 1960, and new abandoned.

In my aforesaid application there is disclosed an awning construction which is comprised of a plurality of interlocking awning sheets supported upon rafters. While this construction has been found to be quite satisfactory, it has been noted that certain diliiculties have been encountered in the installation and use thereof. In` particular, during installation thereof, it has been found that the releasable joint between adjacent sheets can come apart and this hinders the installation of the awning because the installer must reassemble the joint before he can proceed with further installation procedures. Further even after installaa tion it is possible that the releasable joint structure can come apart as a result of high winds. Therefore, it is desired to provide a releasable joint between adjacent awning sheets which cannot be separated accidentally dining .installation or use but which canbe Aseparated deliberately if required, for example to correct an installation error or the like.

Further, in'many installations the awning sheets rattle to an objectionable extent, particularly when subjected-to variable wind loadings. This may be caused by avariety of factors, such as installation errors or, perhaps, inadvertent deformation of the awning sheets during installaice showing the awning sheets in an intermediate stage during the assembly operation.

FIGURE 6 is a View similar to FIGURE 4 and showing the awning sheets in their fully assembled position.

General Description The invention provides an awning construction including a plurality of awning sheets which are mounted on elongated rafters or the like. The awning sheets have overlapped, interlocked adjacent edges and the inventin provides an improved interlocking joint structure which, when assembled, is such that disassembly of the awning sheets from each other can be effected solely by an endwise movement of 'the sheets with respect to each other. The improved joint structure employs means, such as a reversely curved portion of the awning sheet adjacent one edge thereof, which defines a groove opening toward the other edge of the sheet.' The groove is narrowed at the open end thereof. The sheet has a downturned leg at the other edge thereof and a locking flange extends'from the lower edge of the downturned leg in such direction that it can be received within the groove of the adjacent awn.- ing sheet. The locking flange includes an upturned portion which is inclined toward the downturned leg and the vertical extent ofthe locking flange is greater thathe width of the groove at the narrow open end thereof but is less than the width of the groove at the widest part therewith the narrow end of the groove and, after it clears said narrow end, it then returns substantially to its originalY y position. Since it is wider than the narrowest part of `the groove, it is locked in position within the groove and the two awning sheets cannot be separated from each other.

-merely by a reverse movement. Rather, it s necessary `that the awning sheets be slide endwise ofeach other in i order to elect disconnection thereof.

tion and/or use. Thus, it is desired to provid' an awning construction in which this tendency to rattle is Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an awning structure embodying an improved joint between awning sheets which provides a relatively permanent, but releasable, connection therebetween.

It is a further object ofthis invention to provide an mproved awning structnrein which the awning sheets, when mounted on the rafters, are in a stressed condition whereby they are urged into contact with thesupport rafters therefor so that rattling thereof is held to a It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved awning structure, as aforesaid; which retains all of the advantages of the awningsqucture disclosed in the aforesaid application and which'is no more e'ipensive to manufacture and install than the awning structure disclosed in the aforesaid application.`

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to persons acquainted with equipment of this type upon reading the foil g disclosure and inspecting the accompanying In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a partially broken away, pe pective view of a typical awning structure to which the nvention relates.

FIGURE 2 is a partially broken away, sectional view taken along the line lI-II of FGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a side view of an awning sheet constructed according to the invention.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged side view at a joint between two awning sheets showing two awning sheets during the first stage of the assembly operation thereof.

FlGURE 5 is a view corresponding to FIGURE 4 and The awning sheets include vertically offset, `substantizally Y planar portions which are connected by transversely extending risers. The risers are adapted to rest on the upper surface of the support rafters. As manufactured, the lower ends of the risers of the awning sheets lie on a curve so that the sheet has a normally bowed condition in which the convex side of the sheet faces the rafter. During installation of the sheets, the sheet is deformed and the ends of the sheet are urged into contact with the rafters and then the awning sheets are secured to the rafters. Thus, the awning sheets are in a stressed condition aresecuredtotherafters andthisstressedcondi them to resist any movement with respect to and, therefore, rattling.

Detailed Description Referring to FIGURE 1, there is shown a typical awning structure to which the invention relates. The awning structure 16 is supported upon a plurality of support posts 11, 12 and 13 and it includes a support frame 14 which includes a plurality of rafters 16. The upper ends of the rafters are secured to any suitable support such as the wall of a building. The cover 17 of the awning structure 10 is comprised of a plurality of interlocked overlapped sheets constructed and assembled as described in greater detail hereinbelow. A side sheet 18 is provided at each end thereof and a decorative fringe 19 is mounted on the front of the support frame.

Referring to FIGURE 2, the cover 17 includes a plurality of interlocked and overlapped awning sheets, of which two appear at 21 and 22. Each of the awning sheets is comprised of a plurality of vertically olset portions 26, 27, 28 and 2*), which are connected by upward ly extending risers 39, 3l and 32. Each awning sheet is the rafters when they, V tion causes antennasc 3 adapted to contact the support rafter at the lower end of the risers 30, 31 and 32.

Referring to FIGURE 3 wherein an awning sheet is shown in its manufactured and unassembled condition; it will be observed that the lower ends of the risers 30, 31 and 32 in their normal condition lie on a curve C, which curve extends above the line Z, said line corresponding to the upper surface of the rafter 16. Thus, the awning sheet is bowed and the convex side thereof faces the upper surface of the rafter. However, as will be described in greater detail hereinbelow, during installation the awning sheet is flattened to bring the lower ends of the risers 39 and 32 into contact with the rafter and the awning sheet is thereby placed in a stressed condition which minimizes rattling of the awning sheet. c

Referring to FIGURES 4 through 6 an improved interlock structure 36 is provided for the adjacent overlapping edges of the awning sheets, here the awning sheets 21 and 22. The lower awning sheet 21 has a at portion 3S and a reversely curved portion 37 adjacent to the upper edge thereof. The reversely curved portion 37 extends upwardly from the portion 3S and slightly rightwardly (as appearing in the drawings) toward that edge of the sheet which is the lower edge when the sheet is installed. The portion 37 is then bent to form a curved leg 38 which extends toward said lower edge of the sheet. The leg 38 has a downturned nose portion 39 which converges toward the upper surface of the sheet 21. Thus, the leg 38 and the nose portion 39 define a" groove 41 opening toward the lower side edge of the awning sheet and having a narrowed or necked down portion at the open end thereof. The narrowt portion of the groove 41 has a dimension N (FIGURE 4) while the widest portion of the groove 41 has the dimension E (FIGURE 4).

A ange 44 extends upwardly at the upper edge of the awning sheet 21 and it defines, with the reversely curved portion 37, a vchannel 42 which has a flat web 43. The web 43 rests against the upper surface of the rafter 16 and fastening means, such as a screw 47, extends through the web 43 into the rafter 16 to tixedly secure the sheet 21 thereto. The web 43 preferably has a. substantially V-` shaped groove 45 (FIGURE 4) through which the screw 47 extends and this groove assists the securing of the screw to the rafter.

The dat portion 29 of the adjacent upper awning sheet 22 is adapted to rest upon the upper edge of the tiange 44, the latter ange extending upwardly a distance sutiicient to make such relationship possible. The sheet 22 has a leg 52 which extends downwardly substantially into contact with the uppenfsurface ofthe awning sheet 21. The locking tiarge 50 extends from the lower end of leg 52 toward the groove 41 and said flange has an intermediate wall 53 which rests on, and during installation slides along the fiat portion 35. The locking ange 50 has an opstanding portion 54 which is preferably inclined toward said leg 52 Thevertical extent of the intermediate wall 53 and the upstanding'portion 54, which is indicated by the letter L (FIGURE 4), is slightly greater than the dimension N but is slightly less than the dimension E.

Thus, in installing a sheet, such as sheet 22, the lower edge portion of sheet 22 is bent downwardly from the position thereof shown in FIGURE 3 so that wall 53 rests on the upper surface pf sheet 21. The sheets are then urged apart so that the portion 54 is brought into engagement with the nose portion 39 of the previously installed sheet 21, as lrshown in FIG E 5. Continued urging of the portion 54 into the groove 41 causes said portion to be bent toward leg 52 slightly until it clears the nose portion 39 and enters the groove. When said portion 54 tlange enters the groove 41 it then returns substantially to its original shape as shown in FIGURE 6. Thus, the portion 54 cannot be withdrawn or removed from the groove 41 by a reverse movement without exerting considerable forc'e thereon. Indeed, in order to remove the locking liange 59 from the groove 41 by a re- 'si verse movement it would be necessary either to deform the nose portion 39 or to deform the flange 54 so that it is inclined away from the downturned portion 52 and neither of these can be done easily. Thus, the awning sheets when in the assembled position shown in FIGURE 6 are relatively permanently connected to each other and the only way they can easily be separated is to slide one awning sheet endwise with respect to the other. Thus, it is possible to separate the awning sheets from each other but it cannot occur unintentionally.

In completing the installation of a sheet, here sheet 22, in order to move the lower ends of the risers 30 and 32 into contact with the upper surface of the rafter 16, the same is done by bending the upper edge portion of the sheet downwardly from the position thereof ,shown in FIGURE 3 toward the rafter 16. When the web 43 engages the upper surface of the rafter, the lower ends of the risers 30, 31 and 32 will also engage the upper surface of the rafter 16. The fastening means 47 are secured to the rafter 16 to tix the upper edge of the awning sheet in such position. The installation of the other awning sheets can be carried out in similar fashion when same are in their unasseinbled, arched condition. Thus, the sheets are held in a deformed and stressed condition when they are connected to the rafter, v

While a particular, preferred embodiment of the invention has been described hereinabove, the invention contemplates such changes or Vnlodilieations therein as lie within the scope of the appended claims.`

What is claimed is: l. An awning sheet, comprising:

-an elongated sheet having continuous wall means extending upwardly from the sheet adjacent one edge thereof, said wall means having an end portion which extends toward the opposite edge of thevsheet and which is spaced upwardly from the remainder ofthe sheet, said wall means defining a groove which opens toward the opposite edge of said sheet, ,said groove being narrowed at its open end;

said sheet having a continuous downturnedlegl at said opposite edge thereof, said leg being of greater vertical extent than the open end of said groove so that said leg can abutA against the freevend of said end portion of another 'similarly shaped sheet and extend across the open end of thel groove thereof;

a continuous resiliently exible locking ange comprising an intermediatefwall erteriding from vthe lower end of said downturned leg toward said one`.edge of said sheet and terminating in anV upturnedvportion, said up'turned portion converging with said leg in an upward direction and its upper end being spaced from said leg, the vertical extent of said intermediate wall and said upturned portion being greater than the height of said groove at the narrowestpart thereof and being less than the height of thegroove at theV widest part thereof, the width Vof said locking flange being less than the depth of said -gropve so that said locking dange can be received in the corresponding groove of an adjacent sheet by momentary exing of said upturned portion toward said leg as said upturned portion passes through the narrowed open end of the groove, said upturned portion returning to its normal position when it has passed beyond said open end so that it is held against outward movement therefrom.

2. An awning sheet according to claim 1 wherein said means defining said groove is a reversely curved portion of said sheet which is spaced from said one side edge thereof;

and a second upturned flange at said one side'edge thereof and defining a channel with said reversely curved portion.

3. An awning construction, comprising:

a plurality of inclined rafters;

a plurality of substantially identical flexible awning sheets, each spanning the plurality of rafters and arranged in series along said rafters, each of said awning sheets having vertically offset, substantially planar, portions which are connected by transversely extending risers, each sheet having a reversely curved portion close to but spaced from the upper edge thereof, said reversely curved portion being continuous and extending between the end edges of the sheet and extending upwardly from the remainder of the sheet and then toward the lower edge thereof to deiine a continuous groove which opens away from said upper side edge and toward the lower edge thereof, said groove being narrowed at its open end, and the free end of said reversely curved portion being spaced upwardly from the remainder of said sheet;

an upstanding ange at said upper edge of said sheet and dening with said reversely curved portion a channel whose web rests on said rafters, the upper edge of said upstanding ange extending into Contact with the underside of the adjacent upper sheet;

each sheet having a continuous downturned leg at its lower edge which abuts against the free end of the reversely curved portion of the adjacent lower sheet and extends across the open end of the groove thereof, the portion of said sheet adjacent said leg extending over the reversely curved portion, the web and the opstanding ange of the adjacent lower sheet, said portion abutting against the upper end of said npstanding flange;

a locking flange extending away from the lower end of said leg into the groove of the adjacent lower sheet, said locking ange terminating in an upturned portion converging with said leg in an upward direction and the upper end of said upturned portion being spaced from said leg, the vertical extent of said locking flange being slightly greater than the height of the groove at the open end thereof and being less than the height of said groove at the widest part thereof;

fasteners extending through the webs of said channels of each sheet and securing sagre to said rafters whereby the sheets are held with the lower ends of the risers thereof lying substantially within a single plane and resting on said rafters.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 626,006 Heidt May 30, 1899 2,019,706 Hungerford Nov. 5, 1935 2,160,642 Bumpas et al May 30, 1939 2,565,610 Kinghorn Aug. 28, 1951 

1. AN AWNING SHEET, COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED SHEET HAVING CONTINUOUS WALL MEANS EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM THE SHEET ADJACENT ONE EDGE THEREOF, SAID WALL MEANS HAVING AN END PORTION WHICH EXTENDS TOWARD THE OPPOSITE EDGE OF THE SHEET AND WHICH IS SPACED UPWARDLY FROM THE REMAINDER OF THE SHEET, SAID WALL MEANS DEFINING A GROOVE WHICH OPENS TOWARD THE OPPOSITE EDGE OF SAID SHEET, SAID GROOVE BEING NARROWED AT ITS OPEN END; SAID SHEET HAVING A CONTINUOUS DOWNTURNED LEG AT SAID OPPOSITE EDGE THEREOF, SAID LEG BEING OF GREATER VERTICAL EXTENT THAN THE OPEN END OF SAID GROOVE SO THAT SAID LEG CAN ABUT AGAINST THE FREE END OF SAID END PORTION OF ANOTHER SIMILARLY SHAPED SHEET AND EXTEND ACROSS THE OPEN END OF THE GROOVE THEREOF; A CONTINUOUS RESILIENTLY FLEXIBLE LOCKING FLANGE COMPRISING AN INTERMEDIATE WALL EXTENDING FROM THE LOWER END OF SAID DOWNTURNED LEG TOWARD SAID ONE EDGE OF SAID SHEET AND TERMINATING IN AN UPTURNED PORTION, SAID UPTURNED PORTION CONVERGING WITH SAID LEG IN AN UPWARD DIRECTION AND ITS UPPER END BEING SPACED FROM SAID LEG, THE VERTICAL EXTENT OF SAID INTERMEDIATE WALL AND SAID UPTURNED PORTION BEING GREATER THAN THE HEIGHT OF SAID GROOVE AT THE NARROWEST PART THEREOF AND BEING LESS THAN THE HEIGHT OF THE GROOVE AT THE WIDEST PART THEREOF, THE WIDTH OF SAID LOCKING FLANGE BEING LESS THAN THE DEPTH OF SAID GROOVE SO THAT SAID LOCKING FLANGE CAN BE RECEIVED IN THE CORRESPONDING GROOVE OF AN ADJACENT SHEET BY MOMENTARY FLEXING OF SAID UPTURNED PORTION TOWARD SAID LEG AS SAID UPTURNED PORTION PASSES THROUGH THE NARROWED OPEN END OF THE GROOVE, SAID UPTURNED PORTION RETURNING TO ITS NORMAL POSITION WHEN IT HAS PASSED BEYOND SAID OPEN END SO THAT IT IS HELD AGAINST OUTWARD MOVEMENT THEREFROM. 